What is Laughter Yoga?
& How can it help you?
How does it work?
3 reasons WHY Laughter Yoga
5 Secrets of
Laughing for NO reason
5 major BENEFITS of Laughter Yoga
In order to get scientifically proven health benefits of laughter, we need to laugh continuously for at least for 10 to 15 minutes. Since in Laughter Yoga we do laughter as an exercise, we can prolong our laughter as long as we want; it brings measurable physiological changes like oxygen levels in the blood, muscle relaxation, blood circulation and release of certain hormones in the body.
We Don’t Need
Sense Of Humor To Laugh
Most people believe that one must have a sense of humor to laugh, but Laughter Yoga has proven otherwise. To develop the ability to laugh joyfully, it is important to remove all inhibitions and conditioning created by self, family, and society. Laughter Yoga facilitates this cleaning process and helps to release natural joyful laughter inside of us. The techniques are effective even for people who have lost their laughter or have absolutely no sense of humor. People often say, “I am depressed”, “I cannot laugh”, or “I don’t feel like laughing”. We tell them, “It doesn’t matter. Just bring us your willing body and we will make you laugh.” So, even if you don’t have sense of humor, don’t worry. Just join us or any Laughter Yoga Club and you will develop a sense of humor.
SECRET 2. Motion Creates Emotion
“How do you laugh when you’re in no mood to laugh or don’t have any reason to laugh?” The answer is – Theory of "Motion creates emotion". There is an inherent link between the body and mind. Whatever happens to the mind happens to the body. Therefore, if one changes the quality of thoughts, one can feel a change in body behavior. Conversely, if one can bring a change in body behavior one can experience the change in mental state. Laughter Yoga has the ability to synchronize both body and the mind, maintaining a mutual harmony.
SECRET 3.
You Can Laugh Even If You Are Not Happy
There is an old saying, “If you are not happy, act like a happy person and you will become one.” There is great wisdom and science behind “acting out happiness”. Medical research shows that even if you pretend to laugh or act happy, your body produces happy chemicals. Laughter yoga emphasizes ‘fake it until you make it’, which clearly states that there is hardly any difference, between thinking about doing something, and actually doing it. Therefore, whatever may be the source of laughter; it leads to the same physiological changes occurring in the body.
SECRET 5.
You Can Train Your Body And Mind To Laugh
Our body and mind can be trained to laugh at will. By repeating any bodily behavior over a period of time, the mind begins to generate a predictable response. Thus, by doing laughter exercises on a regular basis, people become conditioned to be joyful. With Laughter Yoga, the brain develops new neuronal connections that produce happy chemistry in the body. These reactions can be triggered simply by laughter exercises, and doing certain actions of the body, which lead the mind to experience the emotion of joy.
SECRET 4.
Cultivate Childlike Playfulness
Laughter is not about laughing only. It is also about cultivating childlike playfulness. Once you learn to play, you don’t have to laugh. Laughter will be the natural outcome of your playful inner child. Though laughing in a group provides a stimulus, a childlike behavior by adults helps them to get over their inhibitions and actually loosen up. Therefore, we incorporate a lot of childlike actions in the laughter clubs like producing funny sounds by swiveling the tongue inside the mouth, tapping air-filled cheeks, laughing like a child and talking Gibberish. We keep reminding our members about the importance of being like a child.
Healthy Exercise to Beat Stress:
Laughter Yoga is like an aerobic exercise (cardio workout) which brings more oxygen to the body and brain thereby making one feel more healthy and energetic. Laughter Yoga is a single exercise routine which reduces physical, mental and emotional stress simultaneously.
Health Benefits:
You can’t enjoy life if you are sick. Laughter Yoga strengthens the immune system which not only prevents you from falling ill, but also helps to heal a variety of conditions like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, depression, arthritis, allergies, asthma, bronchitis, backache, fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, menstrual disorders, cancer and many others.
Social Connection:
The quality of our life depends upon the quality of our relationship. Laughter is a great connector of people and brings quality caring and sharing amongst friends.
Positive Attitude in Challenging Times:
Everyone can laugh when life is good, but how does one laugh when faced with challenges? Laughter helps to create a positive mental state to deal with negative situations and negative people. It gives hope and optimism to cope with difficult times.
Good Mood and More Spontaneous Laughter:
Laughter Yoga helps to change your mood within minutes by releasing endorphins from your brain cells. You’ll remain cheerful, in a good mood throughout the day and find yourself laughing more than you normally do.
In addition to social laughter clubs, Laughter Yoga is also practiced in companies and corporations, fitness centers, Yoga studios, Centers for Seniors, Schools, Colleges, Universities, Physically and mentally challenged and Self help cancer groups.
To reap the health benefits of laughter, laughter has to be loud and deep, coming from the diaphragm. It should be a belly laugh. It might not be socially acceptable to laugh loudly, but Laughter Yoga clubs provide a safe environment where one can laugh loudly and heartily without any social implication.
Natural laughter that courses through our life depends upon many reasons and conditions, but there are not many reasons which make us laugh. That means we are leaving laughter to chance, it may happen it may not. In contrast, in Laughter Yoga club we are not leaving laughter to chance, but doing it out of commitment. This is a guaranteed way of getting the health benefits of laughter.
Secret 1
The reason we call it Laughter Yoga is because it combines laughter exercises with yoga breathing. This brings more oxygen to the body and the brain, which makes one feel more energetic and healthy.
We all want health and happiness in our lives. But instead we are more stressed, depressed, getting less sleep, thinking negatively and feeling isolated. Does this sound like you? Are you someone who wants to move on and bring more laughter and joy into your life? You’re in the right place. Laughter Yoga is the answer.
For centuries we’ve known that “Laughter is the best medicine” and science has now proven it. And yet, there’s been no reliable method of bringing more laughter into people’s lives. Most of the time, humor and jokes do not work and there aren’t many reasons to make us laugh. Laughter Yoga is a tool which delivers the benefits of laughter on command and demand without relying on outside reasons and conditions of life.
The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on scientific studies which has proved that the body cannot differentiate between intentional/voluntary and real laughter. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits.
Learn the Art of Laughing for No Reason:
Anyone can laugh for no reason without relying on humor, jokes or comedy and one can feel the benefits on the very first session! It’s easy.
Real and Contagious Laughter:
We initiate laughter as a body exercise in a group and with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it quickly turns into real and contagious laughter.
Science of Breathing:
According to the yogic concept of breathing, your exhalation should be longer than your inhalation so that you can get rid of stale air from your lungs. Laughter as a form of exercise is a great way to exhale longer.
The History of Laughter Yoga
Laughter yoga was invented by Indian doctor Dr. Madan Kataria in 1995 and is now popular in more than 100 countries and regions.
This new and unique aerobic exercise can balance the stress hormones in the human body, provide more oxygen to the body and brain, and help us relax and live more energetically.
